Jump Start # 2079

Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Anger is an emotion that can erupt like a volcano. Our day can be going smoothly and just like that, very suddenly, something happens and we are angry. We can get angry with ourselves. We forget to do something very important and we know it was our fault. But most times, we get angry with other things and other people. When you get two angry people together, you’ll probably witness a lot of yelling and possibly even a fight. When two nations get angry, troops and ships are positioned for a possible war. Our best work isn’t accomplished when we are angry.

In these verses, Paul lays down a series of three “do nots.” These are stop signs. Don’t do these things. Lets take a look at these red lights on the anger highway.

First, we are to be in control. The very idea of telling us what not to do implies that we can stop. Anger is not at the wheel, we are. We may be upset, mad, even angry, but we remain under control. These next actions are choices. You decide how far your anger is going to take you. Fans of Law and Order and other courtroom shows recognize that a common defense for criminal activity is “heat of passion.” A person declares, “I wasn’t my self.” Or, “I just lost control.” God’s words remind us that you must take control.

Second, DO NOT SIN. One of the great questions folks like to kick around is whether or not anger is a sin. Our verses begin with “Be angry.” You’d think if all anger was wrong then the Holy Spirit wouldn’t say, “Be angry.” Better words would be, “Don’t be angry.” There were times when Jesus was upset. I doubt He was smiling when He turned over the tables in the temple. However, anger moves quickly. It’s like cars on the highway. In just a moment, anger takes us to sin. Violence. Saying offensive, cruel and mean words. Character assassination. Cursing. Wrath. Slander. Strife. The words associated with the works of the flesh, are born out of anger if we are not careful. Be angry, but do not sin. Hit the brakes. Don’t go to far with your mouth, thoughts or actions. Remain under control. Don’t sin. Don’t think for a moment that your anger gives you the right to sin. Don’t do things that you’ll regret later. Don’t ruin your influence, nor shut the door on someone spiritually because you are angry. Don’t sin.

Third, DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER. Get over it. Get over it quickly. The more you let it simmer in your heart, the worse things become. Deal with your anger. Pray to God. Find positive solutions. Anger can turn to revenge quickly. The angry person isn’t thinking about forgiveness. He’s thinking about settling the score. Later in the same Ephesians chapter, we find, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” You cannot control what happens to you, but you do control what those things do to you. When we are really upset with someone else, we feel compelled to share that with a sympathizing ear. Now, we have several who are upset along with us. We’ve formed a mob of angry people. Anger will keep you up at night. You’ll replay the events that upset you over and over. The more times you think about it, the worse things become. The next day, you’re still talking about it. You take those emotions with you to work. You complain to people you barely know, telling them how terrible you were treated. You blast your feelings on Twitter and Facebook. Get over your anger. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

Fourth, DO NOT GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPORTUNITY. Don’t invite the devil to this situation and into your heart. Anger can give the devil a key to roam through our mind and heart and come up with all kinds of evil thoughts and wicked things to do. If you and I were having a get together, a birthday party, an anniversary celebration, and we were sending out invitations for family and friends to attend, we certainly wouldn’t invite Satan. He’d never be on our list. Yet, anger puts him on every list, usually near the top. Anger gives the devil a green light to do whatever he wants. And once the devil is behind the wheel, things always go south. He’ll lead us to making things much worse than what they are. Things will get very ugly and very messy when Satan is around. Paul’s words are: DON’T GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPORTUNITY. How? Ditch the anger. Get over it. Forgive. Move on. The last verse of Ephesians 4 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Can’t do that? Hurting too much? Thinking you’ll never forgive? I’d recommend you read yesterday’s Jump Start. If you won’t forgive, God may take back His forgiveness of you.

When angry, walk away from a situation for a moment. Collect yourself. Calm down. Pray. Gather your thoughts. Deal with the issue. Shouting doesn’t help, nor does it strengthen your argument. Slamming doors, punching walls, making threats, just makes your blood boil. It’s at those moments, if you peek outside your window, you’ll find Satan standing at the door, ready to come in. You are running through stop signs. You are forgetting these three Do Nots. You are losing control. You are not acting as God wants you to.

I know these things. I’ve run through several of these stop signs in the past. So angry that one doesn’t think clearly. Words come out of your mouth that shocks even you. Take hold of your emotions. Grab the wheel. Tap the brakes. Slow down. Remember Jesus. See the big picture.

There is an old story that takes place right after the Civil War. Robert E. Lee was passing through an area where there once was a beautiful plantation that had been lined with massive trees. The aftermath of the war ruined most of those trees. It was ugly. The woman who lived there came out and complained about what the war did to her trees. Lee said to her, “Madam, cut them down and forget it.” Good advice then and good advice for today.

We bump and bruise one another. We can point fingers. We can get angry. We can be helpful and forgive. Maybe it’s time to cut things down and forget it.

Three Do Nots. Stop signs on the road of life. We do well to pay attention to them. Running through them is dangerous—for others, as well as for ourselves.

Roger

Jump Start # 1407

Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

  Anger is a tough one to deal with. It can come so quickly. We can be doing just fine and then something happens and in an instant we are angry. It takes a lot longer to cool down than it does to get angry. Some are still mad days after something happened. Maybe this is why we have the “do not let the sun go down” phrase. The longer it simmers, the more we steam. Have you ever noticed how many different words and expressions we have for anger? We could start with the nice and delicate terms such as, “upset,” or, “mad.” But there are others. Boiling. Rage. Fuming. Anger is the reaction from things that don’t go as we planned. Our anger can be pointed at the government, our boss, the neighbors, our family, or, even God.

Naaman the leper got angry. He was told a miraculous cure for his incurable disease. He had to dip seven times in the Jordan River. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. You’d think he be happy with any answer that would get rid of his leprosy. He was counting on the prophet showing up. He didn’t come. He expected the prophet to wave his hands and say some profound words. Didn’t happen. No one waved their hands. No profound words. The message came from a servant, not even the prophet. He got mad.

There are Naaman’s today. Instead of leprosy, they have a worse disease. They have incurable sin. They will die with that. It will take their souls. There is one solution, the blood of Jesus. When the crowd  interrupted Peter’s sermon with a desperate plea, “What shall we do?” Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. The blood of Christ would cure them of their sins. But there are some who, like Naaman, do not want to hear that. They don’t want to dip in water. They expected a miracle. They expected something dramatic. Like Naaman, they walk away mad. Some never come back.

Anger—it is mentioned often in the Bible. James tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. I know a few who are slow to anger. It takes a lot for them to get mad. Others get mad fast and quick. They are known to have a short fuse. It doesn’t take much and they are good and mad. James further tells us that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Anger takes us the wrong direction.

Is it wrong to be angry? Jesus, the gospels tell us, looked upon the crowd with anger. We know that Jesus never sinned. The question we ought to be asking is not whether anger is wrong, but what does anger do to us. Usually, that answer isn’t very pretty. Some tailgate the car in front of them, blowing their horn the whole time. Some say mean words that are later hard to forgive and take back. Others punch. They might punch a wall or someone’s face. I’ve seen golfers throwing their clubs in disgust at a terrible shot. Sometimes the trail of disaster that follows anger is like the path of a tornado. You can just see where an angry person has been. Some are afraid to speak their minds for fear that it will make someone angry with them and they will get a chewing out. An angry person is intimidating and often feared.

Folks have gotten angry during church services. It happens. It rather kills the atmosphere of worship. A few of us preachers have been known to preach when we were mad. Instead of teaching others about Jesus, we used the sermon to whip and beat up on some. Most times that just deepens problems.

Our passage reveals three DO NOT’s. Did you see them?

• Do not sin. Be angry and yet do not sin. That’s really tough for many of us. To be angry without any controls means we are likely to think, say and do things that we shouldn’t. We justify it because we are angry. We’ve been mistreated so we are going to set the score right. We are going to get our own justice. Like the mobs in the Old West, we want to string someone up without a trial. We’ve become the judge, jury and executioner.  Interesting the passage does not say, DO NOT BE ANGRY. That’s nearly impossible. People will disappoint us. People will hurt us. We will spend our money on products that do not work. Be angry, but don’t sin. Control the situation. Control the temperature. Self-control is the key.

• Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Deal with it. Get over it. Move on. Forgive. That’s the thought. The more you linger on the hurt and the injustice, the worse you become. Anger moves quickly to telling others and then getting even. Wrath follows anger. It’s hard to find wrath without finding anger first. Sometimes it helps to get away from the situation, collect your thoughts, think reasonably and then respond. This is not to say look the other way. This is not to say let others take advantage of you. But this is saying, Do not let the sun go down on your anger. That’s Biblical. That’s God’s command. We give reason for being mad because of our situation. We think we are justified in allowing our anger to grow. The longer you think about it, the madder you become. Let it go. Remember our Lord, He was reviled and uttered no threats back. Boy, could He. But, He didn’t. He lived this passage.

• Do not give the Devil an opportunity. That’s an interesting statement. It’s just hanging out there. We’d expect something to be connected to it. Don’t give the Devil an opportunity for what? What’s the opportunity? The opportunity is for the Devil to take hold of you and take advantage of you. Being mad, your guard is down. You are seeing red and only red. You’ve taken your eyes off of the Lord. That’s just the chance the Devil has been waiting for. Now, like that roaring lion, he’s ready to plunge at you. He’s been waiting. He’s been watching you. And now, while driving home, your guard has been dropped. Another driver has gotten you angry and now Satan lunges at you. At work, you are ready to head out the door, but here comes another stack of papers that are dropped on your desk. Not now, you think. And in an instant, Satan pounces on you, right at work. It may happen at home while you are watching a show on TV. The cable goes out, or there is a weather bulletin and you miss part of the show. Just like that you get mad and just like that, the lion who you never saw on the other side of the couch has leaped upon your heart. Angry words. Angry thoughts. Angry actions. Angry attitude. Our anger is an invitation for Satan to come right over and come on in. We have a couple of invitations on our frig. We have them there as reminders. One is for a birthday party and the other is for a wedding. Our anger can be a fancy invitation for Satan to come and ruin our day. He can, using our anger, ruin relationships. He can, using our anger, ruin our souls.

So, what am I do to? Do Not…implies that I’m not going for a ride and my emotions are at the wheel of my life. No, sir. I’m at the wheel. The very expression, do not, means that I have a choice. I can sin or I may not sin. I can let the sun go down on my anger or I may not let the sun go down on my anger. I can give the devil an opportunity or I may not give him a chance. My call. It’s up to me. Am I going to let anger take me for a ride or am I going to fence it in and not let it get the best of me?

I wonder what the apostle would think about our times. We live in angry times. The movies are about angry people. The music is angry. People are angry. It seems that everyone has a chip on their shoulders and they are just daring someone to knock it off. Offended is just the breeding ground for anger. Too many are overly sensitive these days. If a person says the wrong thing, it’s just the ticket for someone to blow up at them. It’s hard today, with so many angry people all around us.

These words are just as true where I live as they were in far away Ephesus. Do not…do not…do not.

What we should do, is honor the Lord.

I hope this helps.

Roger

Jump Start # 935

Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

This week we are looking at some of the negative emotions that we often must learn to conquer in our daily walk with the Lord. So far we have taken a look at guilt and jealousy. Today, we consider anger.

Anger comes with many labels such as: mad, fuming, blow a gasket, blow my top, tiff, furry, rage, inflamed, vexed. Anger comes in several degrees, from mildly irritated to ready to punch someone’s lights out. We are not our best when we are mad. Our voice becomes louder and we talk faster, our blood pressure rises and nothing else seems to matter when we are mad. The trail of destruction that follows anger is not pretty. Holes punched in walls, chewed out co-workers, cussing, throwing things, making a scene, to being arrested for disorderly conduct.

It seems to me that we live in an angry society. The movies and music are angry. Violence is all too common in schools, work places and road ways. Our tolerance and patience is running thin as a country. It doesn’t take much to set some people off.

Our passage helps us to understand how God’s people are to deal with anger.

First, the passage does not say NEVER be angry. That’s not going to happen. That’s not good. Things ought to bother us. Things ought to out rage us. What those things are and how we deal with them are a different matter. It’s not fair, nor Biblical to say “Never get angry.” The hurting of the innocent, the mockery of God, the advancement of false ideas ought to bother us, anger us and drive us to positive actions.

Too often, we let little things get us angry. We get more upset over a scratch on our car than the misuse of God’s word. It’s the personal things that seem to make us steamed up the most.

Second, the passage list two negatives, two “do nots.” Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Deal with your anger quickly. The more your anger simmers the madder you become. Anger doesn’t improve with time. The more you stew over something the more you start thinking of getting someone back. Revenge often follows anger.

The second do not is “Do not give the devil an opportunity.” Anger does just that. It is a formal invitation to Satan to come into my heart and mess things up. Out goes love, prayer, fellowship and goodness. It is replaced with hostility, hatred, violence and finding a way to get even. Anger is opening the door to Satan. Anger is not the worst thing that can happen. Violence, hasty decisions, cursing, hateful words can cause lasting damage. Long after you have cooled down from being mad, someone you love will remember the cold statement, “I don’t love you.” Apologize all you want, you said it. Come up with a dozen reasons why you said that, stress from work, not feeling well, bothered by this, yet, they will remember you said it. Flowers won’t erase those words. The damage has been done. It can be recovered but it is hard. The devil smiles.

Harsh and angry words said at church can be apologized for, but the damage is done. Satan smiles. The cruel things said at work can lead to you being fired. The angry way you disciplined your children can make them afraid of you. Your quick temper will keep brethren from putting you in a leadership role at church. Your path of destruction embarrasses your family, shames your spouse and makes people wonder what is wrong with you. And Satan smiles.

Anger, like a mean dog, needs to be put on a short leash. You need to watch it and work on it. All the good you do can be destroyed by one angry moment.  A couple of suggestions: do not let anger come from the pulpit. The pulpit is the platform to preach God’s word and not be used as a whipping post. Angry sermons do not make good sermons. Calm down preacher. Take a breath. Take a vacation. Get focused. Chewing the brethren out from the pulpit, when it’s a one way conversation is not only not fair, it’s not what God wants from His preachers. Secondly, parents do not discipline when mad. Our kids can really make us mad sometimes. The spanking of discipline and the spanking of anger are not the same. Discipline involves instruction and changing behavior. Anger leads to abuse and injury. Calm down parent. Don’t say things that you will later regret. Don’t go overboard with things. There are days that the thought of sending our kids to the moon seems very inviting. Go join the circus is another great idea that crosses the mind of an angry parent. It’s easy to go to extremes when angry.

Well, what am I supposed to do? I get mad. First, as Proverbs teaches us, the one who controls the spirit is greater than the one who conquers the city. Instead of being controlled by anger and going for a ride, hold on to the reigns and you control your spirit. Find ways to think, calm down and be reasonable and rationale. Righteousness is not achieved through anger, James tells us. I have found that the less I say the better I am when I am mad. Didn’t always do this in the past. Blood boiled and I let others know it. Not good. Recognize your emotions and take control.

The two “do not’s” remind us that we are in control. Saying, ‘I can’t help it because I was mad,’ doesn’t fly with God. Do Not…Do Not. You hold the reigns to your emotions.

Find a time and a positive way to deal with what bothers you. Some things are out of our control and getting mad doesn’t put us in control. You may have planned an out door event and it rains like dogs and cats. That forces you to change things. Getting mad and staying mad at rain isn’t going to do anything but make you more miserable.

Usually when we are angry, we’ve put God on the sidelines. Mistake. Don’t do that. Keep God close. Pray. Consider passages like our verse today. Think, what would Jesus do.

When you lose your cool, get it back. Ask God for help and forgiveness. Work on patience. That is generally why we get so angry so quickly, we lack patience. That is a virtue.

Anger management—the best source is the Bible. The best example is Jesus.

Roger